The sun rose (well, I scheduled this post so hopefully by the time you’re reading it the sun rose) on another day. Mike Boynton is still recruiting. Spencer Sanders is still the future. And Bedlam can still be spoiled. KB has the Bullets tomorrow and Steve-O is back at it on Tuesday. I’ve enjoyed filling in over the past few days. Thank you for having me.

Don’t Blame ‘Em

Bill Haisten on fans leaving early in Stillwater was great.

Home losses knock the breath out of a fan base. That’s why there were so many empty seats on Saturday. There were fans who attended the Texas Tech debacle and decided to skip the Iowa State game.

It can be argued that a true fan should be in the stadium every time the gates are opened. That argument can be countered by a practical response — that college football tickets are expensive, and that a football game is an all-day commitment, and that consumers are hesitant to invest money and time when expectations are doused by a home loss to Texas Tech.

When Gundy and his assistant coaches convene on Sunday morning, their mission is to save the season and find a way to dazzle those fans who stayed away on Saturday. [Tulsa World]

The Rest of 2018

What is the rest of the year going to look like, wonders Jenni Carlson. Hopefully it won’t take a miracle punt return at the 11th hour for OSU to make it to the postseason.

All but K-State have offenses that will stress OSU’s defense even more than Iowa State did, so OSU’s offense is going to have to be in high gear. Can the Cowboys muster up a couple games where they do that and win? Or can they figure out some fixes on defense and give the offense a little more wiggle room?

If not, the six-win mark for bowl eligibility is in jeopardy. The Cowboys say they aren’t panicking, that they see the season as half full not half empty. “We’ve got a lot of games left,” Cornelius said. “We can’t let this one ruin the season.”

It might not ruin the season, but unless the Cowboys change the trajectory of things, this game might just define it. [NewsOK]

Trojan Horses

Fake USC Iowa State used a trojan horse and unleashed third string true freshman Brock Purdy on the Pokes.

They pulled a switch after the first series on offense and defense as they came out playing and looking like they did in the four previous games this season that had led to a 1-3 record. On offense they inserted freshman quarterback Brock Purdy and layered a previously barely shown quick passing game and screen passing game with quarterback run game and blended in run-pass options (RPO) with all of it. Then for the show stopper they had Purdy show off his arm and he threw for 318-yards and four touchdowns.

On the field after the game, when I mentioned I hadn’t seen a “Trojan Horse” like that in a long time, Campbell said, “Thanks, Robert. we knew we had to change some things in order to have a chance to come in here and win.” [Go Pokes – $]

The most demoralizing thing for Oklahoma State fans, you can't even call this a rebuilding year. You're not building anything with a 5th year senior walk-on quarterback. You're simply losing and wasting a season.